Last night, I met Environment Secretary Roy Cimatu in the vigil of our common friend, the late Army Col. Samuel Afdal, in a funeral home in Davao City.
During the course of our conversation, I shared with him my personal advocacy to distribute planting materials of Giant Bamboo (Dendrocalamus asper) all over the country.
Sec. Cimatu was so thrilled by what I was doing that he asked what could the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) do to support my program.
I told him that since I could not possibly disrtribute the 10 Giant Bamboo planting materials to every town in the country, I asked for DENR’s help in ensuring that each town gets 10 Bamboo planting materials and 2 seedlings of EVIARC Sweet Jackfruit from Abuyog, Leyte.
In support of DENR’s program, I also offered to assist in crafting an integrated bamboo planting, production and processing program in areas deemed high risk for flooding, landslides and soil erosion.
Sec. Cimatu identified the Cagayan Valley Region, Ilocos Region, Cordillera, Central Luzon, Western Visayas, Central Visayas and Eastern Visayas as the priority regions for the Giant Bamboo Program.
Replicating the program design of the Mindanao Bamboo Industry Development crafted by the Mindanao Development Authority (MinDA) when I was Chairman, each Bamboo Cluster will target at least 1,000 hectares to be planted to Giant Bamboo.
Sec. Cimatu said he would like the program started immediately in the critical regions he had identified.
God really works in mysterious ways that in a moment of grief for us over the loss of a common friend, a program to re-green our mountains would find the needed support.
Now, there is light at the end of the tunnel for my dream to see a Green Philippines before I depart from this world.
#GodWorksInMysteriousWays!
#MakePhilippinesGreenAgain!
(Video and photo by Jeff de Guzman)
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